Strainer



D. R. M-CNEAL STRAINER Jan.-2, 1945;

Filed July 8, 1941 ATTORNEY5 Patented Jan. 2, 1945 UNITED STATES STRAINER Daniel Raymond McNeal, Abington, Pa., assignor to Andale Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 8, 1941, Serial No. 401,407

15 Claims,

This invention relates to strainers and is particularly concerned with certain improvements in the basket type of strainer where the straining generally takes place from the inside to the outside of the basket-dirt being caught 5 at the inner side of the basket walls.

Strainers of this type are frequently used in pairs in a suitable casing provided with valves by means of which one strainer or the other may be isolated and removed for purposes of cleaning, repair, replacement or substitution by a strainer of different mesh while the other strainer remains in service.

Where the mesh is relatively fine and composed of suitable wire screening it has been customary in previous practice to secure the wire to the inside of a supporting shroud of grill-like construction the openings of which are not intended to eiiect any straining action. The wire has been permanently secured in the shroud by means of rivets or the like so that the two portions orele- 'ments of the strainer have formed a unitary bucket-like structure which is relatively expensive to replace in case a new one is required or. a substitution desired. Furthermore, in situations '25 where circulation of the fluid to be strained is secured by means of a pump and especially where the pressure involved may be rather high, the fluctuations of the pump have a tendency to cause a beating or "fiuttering of the mesh of the wire against the supporting bars of the shroud which is frequently sufficiently pronounced to cause early cutting of the wire and the necessity for replacement which, as stated, has involved either the relatively expensive sub stitution of an entirely new unit or a very troublesome repair.

With the foregoing in mind the principal objects of my invention will be better understood, and they may be said to consist in the pro- .40 vision of an improved strainer in which the mesh basket is made as an easily replaceable stocking adapted for insertion and removal in a suitable supporting shroud; the provision of means for greatly minimizing, if not entirely eliminating, the effect of the pump fluctuations on the screen; the provision of a vstraining bucket into which any one of aplurality of mesh baskets of different mesh can be readily inserted; the provision of a combined shroud and inner mesh which, While separable, can .be handled as a unit for insertion in and removal from the straining compartment of the strainer; the provision of a bucket-type strainer ofthe character described in which a tight seal is zalwaysmaintained between the mesh basket and the shroud basket and between the shroud basket and the strainer pocket or compartment; and the provision of a structure which is very much less expensive to maintain and one in which replacements of the mesh basket can be made at a minimum of expense.

The foregoing objects, together with such other objects as may appear hereinafter, or are incident to my invention, are realized by means of a construction which is illustrated in a preferred form in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1- is a vertical section through a strainer compartment showing my improved structure inserted therein; and

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the removable mesh basket of my invention taken at right angles to the view shown in Figure v1.

The strainer compartment 3 may be one .of a pair of compartments, the other of which is not illustrated because it is a counterpart of the one shown. The fluid enters the upper chamber 4 which is separated from the lower or outlet chamber 5 by means of the inner shoulder 6 and the a opposite sides of the compartment ,3, the lid 8 being forced downwardly against the gasket 12 i by means of a screw jack l3 passing through the upper portion'of the yoke 9. The structure soiar described is quite well known in the art and in and of itself forms no part of the present invention.

My improved strainer bucket comprises the outer shroud basket M which is provided at its open end with an annular flange [5 adapted to seat upon'the shoulder 6. The bottom I6 has a central opening, through which passes what I term a union nut l1 Whichhas an external ring [8 secured to its inner. end. The nut fitsloosely in the opening in the bottom plate l6, being held in place bythe ring I8 and the head of the nut. The purpose of this will appear below.

Within the shroud I4 I provide-the inner or mesh basket H) to the upper open end of which is suitably secured anannular supporting -collar the flange l5 and is adapted to rest upon the top of the shroud, as clearly shown in Figure 1. The bottom of the mesh basket I9 is closed by a plate 2| having a downwardly projecting central stem 22 which is suitably threaded to cooperate with the threads in the nut I1. On its.inner face this plate 2| is provided with a projecting boss 23 which is centrally apertured and threaded to re ceive the lower end of a magnet supporting rod 24.

Projecting also from the bottom face of the plate 2| is a positioning pin 25 adapted to enter an aperture 26 in the bottom plate l6 of the shroud basket. This pin prevents relative rotation between the mesh basket and the shroud Incidentally, the opening in the nut I! may be provided with a slight annular pocket 2'! so as tofacilitate proper entry of the stem. The nut I7 is then rotated in order to draw the stem 22 downwardly thereinto.

This action, of course, places tension upon the wire of the mesh basket and draws the collar tightly against its seat within the flange l5, so as to prevent all possibility of leakage from the unstrained side to the strained side of the compartment 3. The tension which is thus placed upon the mesh basket is sufficient to hold it firmly against flapping or fluttering incident to the fluctuations of the pump so that damage from this source is practically entirely eliminated.

' A bail-like handle 28, preferably composed of some suitable spring metal, is secured to the collar 20 by means of the outwardly extending ends 29 which are adapted to project through suitable opposed slots 30 in the collar 20, the ends 29 being inserted in the slots 30 by pressing the sides of the handle inwardly until the ends clear the inner edge of the ring 20, after which they will spring outwardly into the position shown in Figure l. The ends 29 fitting into the slots 30 serve to hold the handle in its proper upright position.

On the top of the bail-like handle 28 is a spring bow 3| which may be secured in place as by the rivets 32. The spring bow 3| is arranged to come directly under the inwardly projecting boss 33 on the under side of the cover 8 so that when the cover 8 is in closed position, the boss 33 will press against" the bow 3| which, in turn, transmits the thrust to the bail 28, the collar 20, the flange I5 and the shoulder 6. tight seal is always insured'between the flange l5 and the shoulder 6, so that, here again, all possibility of. leakage from the dirty side to the clean side is avoided.

It will be seen that the handle with its upper bow-like member provides a construction which can be easily and quickly applied to or removed from the bucket a well as one which is adapted to act as a means for transmitting pressure from the lid boss 33 to the bucket seat whereby fluid tightness is insured. Furthermore, my improved handle is strong and durable and eliminates the breakage which has been encountered with the old style simple bail.

In some straining operations magnets are employed, and in my improved construction a series of horseshoe magnets 34 are carried by the rod 24, one above the other, as shown, and radiating from the rod in different angular positions with the open ends of the U in close proximity to the In this way an absolutely" screen of the mesh basket. The lower end of the rod is threaded as at 35 and can be screwed into the boss 23 by grasping the nut 36 which is pinned to the top of the rod. Where the rod 24 passes through the top of th bail 28 and the bottom of the bow 3| it is threaded as at 31 to accommodate the holding nuts 38 and 39. In case magnets are not desired, which is true in many installations, the rod 24 with its magnets and holding nuts can be omitted without in any way interfering with the rest of the structure.

Where-the magnets are employed, as shown, assembly is effected by first placing on the rod 24 the nut 38 and then projecting the upper end of the rod through the opening in the top of the bail 28 and the bottom of the bow 3|, after which the nut 39 is placed in position and finally the nut 36 by means of which the rod 24 can be rotated, the nut 36, as stated before, being pinned to the rod for this purpose. With the nuts 38 and 39 backed away from the bail 28 and bow 3|, the rod and handle structure can then be attached to the basket structure by screwing the end 35 of the rod into the boss 23, compressing the sides of the bail 28 until the ends 29 are in position to snap into the slots 30, and then finally screwing up on the nuts 38 and 39 so that they firmly clasp the top of the bail and the bottom of the bow. It will be understood, of course, that this is done after the mesh basket has been inserted in the shroud basket and the nut I! turned to place the mesh under tension, as previously described.

It will be seen that my improvements make it possible to readily replace a mesh basket without the necessity of replacing the shroud since the mesh basket can be quickly removed from the interior of the shroud. At the same time, the mesh'basket and the shroud basket can be handied as a unit in exactly the same way as is customary with the present type of strainer bucket where the mesh basket is riveted or otherwise permanently secured to the shroud. This reduces the cost of repairs to an absolute minimum and makes it possible for the user to carry in stock a number of mesh baskets of whatever mesh may be desired so that changes from one mesh to another can be quickly and easily made.

The tension which is placed on the mesh of the mesh basket by means of the nut l1 serves to hold the wire in a taut condition so that beating or fluttering under variations in pump pressure are practically eliminated and damage from this source reduced to a minimum.

I claim:

1. A bucket-type strainer unit including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of said outer shroud basket, a supporting collar at the top of the mesh basket adapted to seat on the shroud basket, and means for detachably connecting the lower portions of the two baskets including means for moving the bottom of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension.

2. A bucket-type strainer unit including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of said shroud basket, means for detachably connecting the bottom of the mesh basket to the bot tom of the shroud basket including means for moving the bottom of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension, and a handle on the top of the mesh basket.

3. A bucket-type strainer unit including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of said shroud basket, means for detachably connecting the bottom of the mesh basket to the bottom of the shroud basket including mean for moving the bottom of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension, a removable handle on the mesh basket, a rod within the mesh basket extending between and carried by said handle and the bottom of the mesh basket, and magnets carried by said rod.

4. A bucket type strainer unit including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within said shroud basket, a supporting collar at the top of the mesh basket adapted to seat on the shroud basket, a plate closing the bottom of the mesh basket, a stem projecting from said plate toward the bottom of the shroud basket, and means adapted to pull on said stem to draw the bottom plate of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension.

5. A bucket type strainer unit including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within said shroud basket, a supporting collar at the top of the mesh basket adapted to seat on the shroud basket, a plate closing the bottom of the mesh basket, a stem projecting from said plate toward the bottom of the shroud basket, and means adapted to pull on said stem to draw the bottom plate of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension, together with a positioning pin extending between and cooperating with the bottom plate of the mesh basket and the bottom of the shroud basket to prevent rotation of the mesh basket within the shroud basket.

6. A mesh basket adapted for insertion in the shroud basket of a bucket type strainer, said mesh basket having a shroud engaging collar at its open end, a plate closing its opposite end, and a tensioning stem projecting from said plate, toether with a bail-like handle connected to the shroud engaging collar, a rod within the mesh basket extending between and carried by said handle and said closure plate, and magnets carried by said rod.

7 A bucket type strainer comprising a strainer compartment having an open top, an inwardly projecting bucket supporting shoulder, a perforated bucket shroud having a flange adapted to seat on said shoulder, a mesh basket within the shroud basket and having a collar at its open end adapted to seat on said shroud, means for detachably connecting the bottom of the mesh basket to the bottom of the shroud, a handle on the collar of the mesh basket, and a lid for the compartment opening, said lid when in closed position being adapted to press on the handle whereby the mesh basket and its shroud are urged into the compartment so as to tightly seat the shroud flange on said bucket supporting shoulder.

8. A strainer unit of the bucket-type including in combination, a perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of said shroud basket, means securing said baskets together, a removable bail of fiat spring metal having outwardly turned ends, and cooperating fiat slots at the top of the bucket into which said outwardly turned ends are adapted to project whereby the bail is maintained in its upright position.

, 9. The structure of claim 8 wherein the bail is provided at its top with abow-like thrust transmitting member.

10. A strainer unit of the bucket type, including in combination, a perforated shroud basket,

a mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of said shroud basket, a supporting collar at the top of the mesh basket adapted to seat on the shroud basket, means for securing the bottom of the mesh basket to the bottom of the shroud basket, a removable bail of flat spring metal having outwardly turned ends, and cooperating fiat slots at the top of the mesh basket into which said outwardly turned ends are adapted to project whereby the bail is maintained in its upright position.

11. The structure of claim 10 wherein the bail is provided at its top with a bow-like thrust transmitting member.

12. A mesh basket adapted for insertion in the shroud basket of a bucket type strainer, said mesh basket having a shroud engaging collar at its open end, a removable bail of fiat spring metal having outwardly turned ends, and cooperating fiat slots in the shroud engaging collar into which said outwardly turned ends are adapted to project.

13. The structure of claim 12 wherein the ball is provided at its top with a bow-like thrust transmitting member.

14. A bucket-type strainer comprising a perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within the shroud basket, means securing said baskets together, a removable hail of flat spring metal having outwardly turned ends, cooperating flat slots at the top of the bucket into which said outwardly turned ends are adapted to project, a rod within the mesh basket extending between and carried by said bail and the bottom of the mesh basket, and magnets carried by said rod.

15. A bucket-type strainer including an outer perforated shroud basket, a removable mesh basket within and closely fitting the interior of the shroud basket, means for supporting the upper portion of the mesh basket on the upper portion of the shroud basket, and means for detachably connecting the bottom of'the mesh basket to the bottom of the shroud basket including means for moving the bottom of the mesh basket toward the bottom of the shroud basket whereby to place the mesh under tension.

DANIEL RAYMOND MCNEAL. 

